1,018 shops in Jeddah ‘violated’ health rules

A report issued by Jeddah Municipality’s commercial monitoring and licensing authority has revealed that 1,018 health violations have been registered in Jeddah during the last six months, as documented in inspection rounds.

According to the 26-page report, 2,413 shops were inspected in total, of which 1,018 were found to be in violation of operation regulations, including restaurants, fast food chains, water factories, food warehouses, and supermarkets. Violations were issued for non-renewal of licenses, lack of licenses, lack of proper displays outside the facility, poor hygiene systems, and violations of licensed activities.

As for regulations by service facilities and shops, the report revealed that of a total of 2,089 shops, 490 were found to be in violation of the regulations.

The report also revealed that nine committees with representations from the General Authority of Commercial Monitoring and Licensing in Jeddah were involved in the inspection rounds on stores around the city.

These include the Committee for Perfume Factories and Shops, which inspected 695 facilities and recorded violations against 166; the Aluminum Phosphide Committee, which inspected 231 shops and recorded violations against 77; and the Furnished Apartments Committee, which identified 44 facilities in violation out of a total of 66.

Meanwhile, more than 747 stalls and 301 stores were found to be in breach of the law, as noted during rounds by inspection committees on popular markets in the first half of the year.

Inspectors reported numerous irregularities in the markets, such as vendors carrying out their business activities outside shops on the sidewalks without permits and storage in unhealthy conditions. Furthermore, many goods were confiscated, including 9,000 antiseptic throat pills with signs of damage and invalid consumer goods and food products.